Unseen Passage

Unseen Passage
A, Read the following passage carefully:

Trees are of importance not only to man but also to birds and animals. The
branches of trees giveshelter to millions of birds and forests give shelter to
numerous wild animals. We value trees not onlyfor their usefulness but also for
their beauty. They have a way to refreshing the eye and also refreshingthe mind. Perhaps that is
why the rishies of olden days were drawn to the forests, and they and theirpeoples chose to going
forest homes in company of Nature. In modern times when Rabindranath Tagorestarted a school,
he too chose a place full of trees and called it Shanti Niketan or the home of peace.
Once upon a time large areas of India were covered with forests full of numerous kinds of trees.
As thepopulation grew, trees began to be cut down for man’s use. That is how the wonderful
forest describedin our ancient poems came to be destroyed, and a great part of our forest wealth
was lost. Now weare trying to replace this loss, and our government wants trees to be planted all
over the country. Anew festival called ‘Van Mahotsava’ has been started for this purpose. Since
trees are the country’swealth we must consider it our sacred duty to protect them. We should
plant new trees wherever wecan and look after them well.
1. How are trees important for birds and animals?

2. Why did the rishiesin olden days make forests their homes?
3. Mention the reason that became the cause for the destruction of the wonderful forest.
4. How can we replace the loss of forests?
5. What is meant by ‘Shanti Niketan’? Who started it?
6. Why is Van Mahotsava organised?
7. What message do we get from the above passage?
8. Give a suitable title for the above passage.
2. Read the following extract carefully:

Once Akbar decided to hold a grand feast. He personally invited his courtiers and many others. It
wasa feast to be remembered and talked about. Attending a grand feast was worth walking even
a hundredmiles. Obviously, everybody flocked to the place.
It was indeed a feast fit for gods. All kinds of dishes and food delicacies were served. All the
courtiersvied with one another to catch the emperor’s eye. As usual Akbar’s eye was on his
favourite Birbal.He made Birbal sit next to him. He enjoyed the meal thoroughly as Birbal
entertained him with hiswitty stories throughout the meal.
After the meal, different fruits were served. Akbar and Birbal sat conversing together over a
bowl ofdates. While talking they kept throwing the date seeds under their chairs.
Noticing the pile of dates under Birbal’s chair Akbar got an idea and thought of having fun at
Birbal’sexpense. He slowly pushed his heap of seeds into that of Birbal’s with his foot. Birbal
did not noticeAkbar doing that.
Suddenly pretending to be surprised Akbar spoke loudly, “Birbal! I did not know you were so
greedy.
Is it wise to eat so many dates?”
There was a hush. Everybody stopped talking and turned to look at Birbal. Birbal peeped under
his chairand saw a huge heap of date seeds while there was nothing under the king’s chair. He
understood it tobe Akbar’s pranks. Akbar was waiting to see as to how Birbal would tackle the
embarrassing situation.
Unnerved, Birbal turned towards Akbar and answered loud enough for everyone to hear. Your
Majesty,I admit I am a greedy man. But I have eaten only the fruit having thrown away the seeds
while youhave eaten the seeds along with fruits.
Now, it was Akbar’s turn to get embarrassed. As usual, Birbal had the last laugh.
On the basis of the reading of the passage, answer the following questions in brief:
1. Why did Akbar arrange a grand feast? What was the courtiers’ only desire?
2. What was Akbar’s prank?
3. Why did everyone turn to look at Birbal?
4. How did Birbal tackle the embarrassing situation?
II. VOCABULARY:
1. Give another word for ‘flocked’.
2. Pick out a word from the above passage which means ‘a piece of mischief’.
3. Pick out a word from the above passage which is opposite to ‘deny’.
4. Give the noun form of ‘embarrassed’.
C. Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow:
It may seem puzzling that the hours of U.S. women’s home activities have not declined in spite
of the availability of many appliances (washing machine, gas and electric ranges, blenders, etc.)
The truth is that appliances tend to be energy-saving rather than time saving and lead to a rise in
the standards of housekeeping. Hence women today spend more time than their grandmothers
doing laundry, since family members demand more frequent changes of clothing today than in
earlier generations. Husbands and children expect more varied meals. Advertising encourages
women to devote an inordinate amount of time and money to waxing floors creating rooms free
of ‘odour-causing’ germs and seeking to meet other extraordinary standards of cleanliness.
Furthermore, the increasing concern for good nutrition means that many home-makers are now
spending more time preparing foods that are not available in the marketplace or which are only
available at great costs.
Choose the correct option to answer each question:
1) How have household appliances affected women’s home activities?

a) They have increased the hours of women’s work
b) They have decreased the hours of women’s work
c) They have not brought about any big change.
d) They have not helped them in any way.
2) How have the household appliances helped the standard of housekeeping?

a) It has declined b) It has risen
c) It has been going up and down d) It has remained constant
3) The modern home appliances are……..

a) time-saving b) energy-saving
c) both (a) and (b) d) neither (a) nor (b)
4) Why are the homemakers spending more time in preparing food?

a) Because the concern for nutrition has increased
b) Because food of required quality is quite costly
c) Because good food is not available
d) Because of all the above factors.
5) In the passage, the word ‘inordinate’ means……………….

a) far less than is expected b) far more than is expected
c) adequate d) none of the above
D. Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow:
All-round development of man is the true aim of education. It should train not only the head, but
also the hands and the heart but or present system of education has miserably failed to achieve
this aim. It suffers from many grave defects.
The present system of education was founded by the British for their own convenience. Lord
Macaulay was the father and founder of this system. He wanted it to produce clerks to help the
British in running their administration. Today the English have gone but the same old system of
education still continues. We are free but we are still slavishly following the system evolved by
the British.
This system of education has many defects. It must be changed and overhauled. The greatest
defect in our present system of education is that it is too theoretical.
An educated man has only bookish knowledge. He knows nothing about practical things. He
finds that his education has not made him fit to do any useful work for his society.
Choose the correct option to answer each question:
1) What is the true aim of education?

a) Training of the head b) training of the heart
c) All-round development of man d) All of the above
2) What was Lord Macaulay’s aim?

a) To bring about an all-round development of the Indian people
b) To train the head and the heart of the Indian students
c) To continue with the old system of education in India.
d) To produce clerks who could help the British in running their administration.
3) What is the biggest defect in our present system of education?

a) It is bookish b) It is too theoretical
c) It is not practical d) All of the above
4) What does an educated man find?

a) He finds that his education has been only bookish
b) He finds that his education has not enabled him to be useful for society
c) Both (a) and (b)
d) Neither (a) nor (b)
5) The word ‘convenience’ means…………..

a) luxury b) comfort
c) support d) favour
Solutions
A.
1. The branches of trees give shelter to birds and forests give shelter to wild animals.
2. Forests are valuable for their beauty too. They have a way to refreshing the eye and also
refreshing
the mind. The rishiestherefore made forests their homes.
3. With the growth of population, trees began to be cut down on a large scale. By destroying
forests man
began to satisfy his various needs such as accommodation.
4. By planting more and more trees we can replace the loss of forests.
5. ‘Shanti Niketan’ means ‘the home of peace’. Rabindranath Tagore started it.
6. Van Mahotsava is organised time to time to spread awareness among people about the
importance of
trees.
7. We should protect trees because they are country’s wealth. We should plant more and more
trees.
8. ‘Trees and their Importance’.
B.
1. Akbar arranged a grand feast to make it the most talked about affair in his kingdom. The
courtiers’
only desire was to catch the emperor’s eye.
2. Akbar and Birbal were talking together over a bowl of dates. While talking they kept throwing
the
dates seeds under their chairs. Suddenly Akbar hit an idea. He thought of having fun at Birbal’s
expense. He pushed his heap of dates under Birbal’s chair and began calling him a greedy man.
3. Akbar called Birbal a greedy man. He told publicly that he should not eat so many dates.
Since
nobody was aware of Akbar’s prank, they turned to look at Birbal. They were surprised how
Birbal
dared to eat so many dates.
4. Birbal was wise enough to understand Akbar’s prank. So without being unnerved, he told
emperor
that he was undoubtedly a greedy man. But he had eaten only the fruit having thrown away the
seeds while his emperor had eaten the seeds along with fruits. His witty answer made Akbar
embarrassed.
II. 1. gathered
2. prank
3. admit
4. embarrassment
C.
1) (a)
2) (b)
3) (b)
4) (d)
5) (b)
D.
1) (d)
2) (d)
3) (c)
4) (c)
5) (b)

Unseen Passage

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Unseen Passage

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Unseen Passage

A, Read the following passage carefully:

1. How are trees important for birds and animals?

2. Read the following extract carefully:

Choose the correct option to answer each question:

1) How have household appliances affected women’s home activities?

2) How have the household appliances helped the standard of housekeeping?

3) The modern home appliances are……..

4) Why are the homemakers spending more time in preparing food?

5) In the passage, the word ‘inordinate’ means……………….

Choose the correct option to answer each question:

1) What is the true aim of education?

2) What was Lord Macaulay’s aim?

3) What is the biggest defect in our present system of education?

4) What does an educated man find?

5) The word ‘convenience’ means…………..

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